Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-08-04
CARE OF POULTRY.
How to Stimulate the Production of Egg
at All Seasons of the Year.

How to Stimulate the Production of Eggs
at All Seasons of the Year.
1t is to be supposed that any person
can gather eggs from spring till in the
fall, so it will only be necessary to
speak particularly in regard to late fall
and winter. While considerable care
is required in late fall and winter, I
think that it will also pay to look after
the interest of the poultry during the
whole year. Some farmers think that
chickens will take care of themselves
during the summer months; that it is
not necessary to feed any; they get
enough of insects. If you have
wheat field or potato patch near the
house. my word for it, they will take
care of themselves and lay you plenty
of eggs.
1t is better to feed small ration of
corn or wheat twice a day all summer.
This will keep your chickens tame end
quiet and they will not bother your or
chard or garden so bad. But during
the cold months of winter warm and
comfortable places must be prepared,
with plenty of feed. Some writers adj
wise feeding three times day during
the winter, but think that morning
and night is enough, if properly done.
In the morning give a warm feed of
scalded oats OF wheat mixed with meal
OF bran, about three parts oats, one of
meal and one of bran, and meat
chopped fine every other morning. Do
not throw the feed down in the dirt,
but provide troughs. have found the
V-shaped trough to be very good. as
they can eat from both sides and will
not jump in them so bad as the fiat
trough At night give corn or wheat,
or both MIXED, equal parts.
Save your apple and potato parings.
cabbage, small potatoes and other veg
etables, and keep your poultry house
constantly supplied with these, that
there may be change to continually
tempt their appetites. Also plenty of
milk and water where they can have
access whenever thirsty. A dust box
should be provided in one corner of
feed room to be supplied with dry dust
from the road. sand, and little lime.
Every morning when you go to feed
take bucket of coal ashes and scatter
where they can get at it. Mix up a
large cake of lime mortar, such as you
use for plastering; let it dry, place it
in your poultry house, and watch them
some morning when the thermometer
is down below zero and see how they
will enjoy picking at it. do not think
it necessary for farmers to buy oyster
shells and such things as are advertised
for the poultry ohuse, if proper feed is
prepared at home. This is little like
some of the farmers in my county buy
ing fertilizers for crops and letting
manure lie in the barnyard.
In the fall or early part of winter
sort your fowls. Take out all your old
hens. and any that are not perfect,
and sell to the shipper, as it does not
pay to keep hen for eggs after two
years old. Sell all old cockerels and
send to some reliable breeder and re-
place with new blood. We do not adj
wise keeping poor chickens any more
til an poor sheep or cattle. A sheep
shearing four pounds of wool will eat
as much as one shearing eight Like
wise hen that will lay eight dozen
eggs in one year viii eat as much as
one that lays sixteen.
The kind of fowl kept must depend
upon the situation. Almost every per-
son shows Partially for certain
breed. Keep the kind that is most
adapted for your use.-Cor. Ohio
Farmer.